Life in the fast lane! I'm taking life one day at a time and doing my best to keep an attitude of gratitude for my (many) blessings! Life throws us unexpected curve balls and it's up to us to decide how to react to each one. We may need to adjust to a "new normal" on a regular basis!

Friday, March 23, 2012

What a week! What a month!

If anyone would have told me three months ago – heck, even one month ago – that I’d be voluntarily leaving my current position, I wouldn’t have believed it. No way. The only way I thought I would be leaving this place is if they carried me out on a stretcher or I was laid off or otherwise let go. To leave voluntarily for a better position is a Godsend. A blessing. Remarkable. Fantastic. Amazing.

I had a nice luncheon yesterday that my group hosted. Several of my friends from other departments came to share in it. It was very nice. I have a lot of great memories – birthdays, Christmas celebrations, Tax Season parties, and many more. Even though I’m also leaving some sad memories behind, I will also definitely be leaving many friends behind.

Ron is definitely looking forward to my new job and the breathing space it will give us. Since it’s so much closer to home, it will save at least an hour of driving time every day and my gas should last nearly twice as long. That will be a relief! The drive now doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the cost of filling my tank every four days. Yikes! Hopefully, I’ll be able to get 8-9 days worth of driving out of a tank. With the increased cost of gas, it won’t seem like as much of a savings but it is definitely better than the cost of gas going up and still having to fill up every 4th day.

Speaking of Ron… He’s OK – not great, but OK. When he fell in December he hurt something in his new knee and it has been bothering him since. He’s having trouble getting out of the chairs again. We don’t have a lift chair any longer (the one we had died) and bought a sofa instead of a new lift chair ($400 instead of $1500). I’ve about decided that I need to sell one of my recliners and purchase a new lift chair for him. I just don’t know when exactly I’m going to be able to do that. I keep hoping that the pain will go away and that he’ll be able to get around easier. I could be delusional, too. He no longer has a visiting nurse and I can tell that he’s gone downhill some since the last visit. At least Charles (the nurse) was seeing 2-3 times a week any changes in his weight, blood pressure, etc. Ron doesn’t really get up and around during the day except to move from bed to sofa. Of course, he goes to the bathroom on his own and gets himself water, but meals on wheels delivery puts his food on a tray right in front of him. I clean the tray up when I get home from work.

We’ve actually talked about assisted living for him. There are times when I think it would be best but other times when I’m sure it would not. He says he wants to make it easier on me, but I know that he’d want me to come sit with him every night and, quite frankly, that’s not making things easier. I’d still have to come home to laundry and housework. The only benefit I see is that he’d have nursing staff to see to changes and he’d have assistance during the day when he needs it. But, is that really a reason to move someone to assisted living? I don’t know.

Anna is growing like babies do. LOL – she’s a little chunky monkey. Love living so close to them so I can watch her changes. I miss that part of the lives of Alexander, Katy, and Zachary. The new baby will be here on (or before) April 9. I’m excited to see if it’s a boy or a girl. I’m expecting another boy. His name will be Tristan Scott Williams. If it does happen to be a girl, her name will be Bailey Suzanne Williams. I was hoping for an “Abigail” but looks as if I’ll have to hope that Keith and Lindsay make that happen (hint, hint!). The girl name might have been Bailey Abigail. I can’t complain about the baby names because I actually have provided the names that have been chosen for all of the kids. They would have used Abigail (my middle name is Gayle) if I had insisted, but I told them both they needed to pick something THEY loved because long after everyone’s opinions died away, they still have to love their child’s name. Not many grandparents can say they’ve had a hand (or two) in picking their grandchildren’s names. That’s a blessing all in itself.

Isaiah continues to do well this year and he loves his official new name. He’s quick to tell people, too what his whole name is. He loves walking down the street to our house to see his “Crampa” whenever he wants to. It’s good for Ron to have him spend time together and I know that Isaiah will have many fond memories as he grows up.

Amy is still looking for a job. I’m confident that she’ll get the perfect job – all in God’s time – and that it will be a blessing to her family. She’s trying to keep a positive attitude and I know that is a tough thing to do. Been down that road myself.

Keith and Lindsay have set July 6, 2013 as their wedding date. In New Jersey. I’ve never been to New Jersey so this will be fun. That’s a Saturday so I think we might be able to go out on the 1st or 2nd and enjoy some of the sights before the wedding and then fly back home on Sunday. Definitely something to look forward to.

I know this has been a really long update but I’ve been told that inquiring minds want to know…. So… here it is in all its glory! I’m heading to KCMO this afternoon to help my sister with her moving sale, visit my mom, and help her take care of some stuff. I’m taking Ron but we’re boarding Maisey. It should be a very busy weekend!

That really is wonderful about the new job, and not having to spend so long on the road each day, or so much money on the petrol! So sorry to hear that Ron isn't really doing so good again. It's a real quandry for you both, isn't it? Exciting news though about another new baby, and a wedding to look forward to. Lovely to hear from you with all your news.